1: Grain handling and milling

Corn, malted barley, rye and wheat are selected and ground according to the particular recipe, or mashbill, being used.

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2: Mashing

The milled grains are cooked in Kentucky limestone water, in a specified order and at specific temperatures, to create sweet, porridge-like “mash.” The mash is then transferred to fermenter vats.

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3: Backset or "Sourmash"

A portion of the prior day's distillate is added to both the mash cooker and the fermenter. Known as the sour mash process, it serves to maintain continuity of flavor and regulate pH.

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4: Fermenting

Our Master Distiller's 7th generation family yeast strain is added to the cooked mash in a large vat, where the yeast naturally converts the sugars into alcohol through the fermentation process. Over several days, the fermenting mash bubbles violently, creating "Distiller's Beer," a thick, low alcohol (6-7%) liquid that is ready to be distilled into whiskey.

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5: Distillation

In the 70 ft. tall column stills, the Distiller's Beer drips slowly down a series of perforated copper plates while steam blasts up from the bottom. The alcohol vapors rise to the top of the stills, where they are captured, condensed, and then re-distilled in the thumper. The purified, concentrated "white dog" reemerges at 68-70% alcohol or at 136-140 proof.

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6: Gauging and Barreling

The newly made whiskey is stored in a holding tank, where the proof is "gauged" and brought down to barreling proof (62.5% alcohol or 125 proof) through the addition of pure, Kentucky limestone water. It is then transferred to a new charred oak barrel and sealed with a poplar "bung."

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7: Maturation

The newly filled barrels are placed in open-rick warehouses, or rickhouses, to naturally age from 4-20 plus years. During the aging process, the whisky acquires its distinctive amber color, smooth character, and butterscotch and honeyed flavors.

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Small Batch Bourbon:

Our Master Distillers have selected a limited number of barrels from specific floor locations in the rickhouse that have reached peak maturity for Larceny, a six-year-old taste profile. Our small batch is typically 100 barrels or fewer. Mingling barrels in limited quantities, like Larceny, are exceptional examples of the Bourbon-making craft.

Doing Things Differently

Wheated Bourbon

Larceny carries on the tradition of John E. Fitzgerald Bourbons with wheat as the secondary grain instead of the traditional rye. Its mashbill calls for one-third more wheat than other competitors, making it a smoother tasting bourbon.